Automatically operated heater



Jan. 29,1935.

E. S. KANT AUTOMATICALLY OPERATED HEATER Filed Dec. 50, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet l 56 g 54 I 25 55 I s1 sa '8 T.

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Edwin S. KonT wflahw ATTys.

Jan. 29, 1935. E. s. KANT AUTOMATICALLY OPERATED HEATER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 30, 1932 Fig.2.

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AITy s.

Jan. 29, 1935. E. s. KANT AUTOMATICALLY OPERATED HEATER Filed Dec. 30, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig.4.

AITys.

Patented Jan. 29, 1935 UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 AUTOMATICALLY OPERATED rm 'rlnt Edwin s. Kant, BrooklinepMassr 1 Application December 30,1932, Serial No. 049,519

' 7Claims. (01410-361 This invention relates to improvements in furnace constructions, and the general object thereof is to provide automatic feeding mechanism which will maintain an even and uniform fire in the grate .of a furnace.

- Afurther object of the invention isto provide means operable in conjunction with" the feeding mechanism for supplying acurrent ofair below the grate of the furnace, with means for simultaneously controlling the fuel feed and the current of air in such a manner that the heat (18- livered from thefurnace may be regulated.

Another object of the invention is to provide thermostatically operable means for controlling the fuel-feeding .means and preferably alsothe air current producing means in response to variations in temperature in a room being heated.

A further object of the invention is to provide thermostatically operable means responsive to the temperature'of the water in'a water heater or boiler within a furnace and operable to control the supply of fuel and preferably also to control said current of air.

A further object of the invention is .to provide automatic fuel feeding mechanism for, "a furnace comprising'a central circular grate, ,a rotatable stoker ring concentric therewith, means for depositing fuel upon:the stokenring, and

means for delivering the fuelflfrom the stoker ring to the periphery of thefire-bedwandpreferably so constructedas progressively to deliver the fuel uniformly throughout the desired circumference of the fire-bed.

While anyv suitable means may .be provided for continuously depositing fuel upon .the stoker ring, in the illustrative embodiment of the invention disclosed herein, which 'is designed particularly for a household furnace, fuel is delivered to the stoker .ring from. a' magazine adapted to be filled with coal, coke, orother combustible fuel. 1 l ."A further object of the invention isto provide a furnace, preferably of the type ab'ovedescribed, .with'a .novel water heater orboiler of relatively economical construction and eflicient operation. A 1

These and other objects and features of the in.- vention' will more fully appear from the following description and the accompanying drawings, and will be particularly pointed'out in the claims.

In the drawings? Fig. lisia' view, mainly in vertical section, of the furnace embodying the invention and provided with awater heater;

Fig. 2 is a sectional'view on line 2-2 Fig. 1;

,Fig 3 is a sectional view of mechanism for maintaining the periphery of the'stoker ring in firm engagement with the rotatable driving member, on line 33-Fig. 2;. I

Fig. 4 is a view, partly in verticalsection and partly in elevation, of the heating unit, means for supplying the same with water-,and a reservoir or steam chamber communicating-with the upper end of the heating unit; a v

Fig. 5 is a transverse. sectional view on line 55,. Fig. 4, through one of the units, and a part of an associated unit of the heater; and,

Fig. 6 is a plan view of one of the assembled heatingunits. s

Theheater construction illustrated in the accompanying: drawings comprises arectangular frame structure, preferably having vertical angle irons 1, connected by horizontalangle irons 2 and end angle irons'3 to provide a rigid frame construction" A suitable sheet metal casing 4 extends around-the angle iron structure to enclose the same, and desirably is-providedwith-a door 5 to permit access to the furnace for the purpose of building a fire therein. Horizontal girders 6, '7, and 8, and a transverse girder 9,which is supported upon supplemental standardslO, serve to support a rotatable stoker ring 11. Preferably three bracketslZ, having journaled therein- "anti-friction rollers 13, are mounted upon the girders 6,- 7;-and 8, in such a manner that the stoker ring' rest's upon the rollers 13, thereby permitting the stoker ring to be readily rotated.

The furnace is provided'with a preferably upwardly convex central'grate 14 which is carried upon transverse girders 15'supported at their ends upon the girders '7 and 8. A'supplemental grate l6, whichpreferably is of inverted conoidal construction presenting downwardly curved inner walls, is supported in a countersink 17in the inner periphery of the stoker ring, and desirably'is secured to the stoker ring in such a manner that rotation of the stoker ring willrotate the supplementaI grate 16; However; other'forms of grate construction maybe employed within the spirit and scope'of the invention. I g

The front ,end of the furnace construction is provided with a chamber 18 forming a magazine for fuel, such-as coal orcoke, and the lower end of the magazine is tapered to provide a chute 19, the lower end of which spans the stoker ring 11 and is provided with an aperture in. its side to permit the fuel to be continuously deposited upon the stoker ring during the rotation thereof.

Any suitable means may be provided for rotat- 9. A beveled gear 23, which is fixedly secured to the lower end of the shaft 21, engages a beveled pinion 24 upon a horizontal shaft 25, which is mounted in suitable brackets -26'and 27 mounted upon a cross girder 28 preferably supported by the posts 10.

Any suitable means may be provided for driving the shaft 25. In the preferred construction il lustrated the shaft 25 is driven by an electric motor 29; the shaft 30, of which transmits motion through suitable-reduction gearing of usual type contained in acasing 31 to a pulley 32 which drives a belt 33 passing over, a relatively large pulley 34 which is fixedly secured to the shaft 25. .aIt.is obvious thatvthe rotation of the motor shaft 30 may thus be utilized by the interposition of suitable reducinggears to drive the shaft 21 at any desiredspeed, and thereby impart to the stoker ring a desired rate of rotation. v Means desirably are provided for maintaining the periphery of the stoker ring in firm engagement with the rotatable member 20 so as to insure proper driving'ofthe-stoker ring, particularly when a frictional drive is employed. In the preferredv construction illustrated rollers 35 and 36,-mounted respectively on brackets 37 and 38 carried by the side girders 6 and 8, engage the periphery of the stoker ring at widely spaced intervals upon the opposite side of the stoker ring to the line of contact between the rotatable member-20 and the stoker ring. One of these rollers 36 desirably is so mounted that pressure may be continuously applied through the roller 36 so as to maintain the stoker ring in forcible engagement with the rotatable member 20, and the companion anti-friction roller 35. An illustrative'mechanism' for accomplishing this purpose is shown in Fig. 3, inwhichthe roller 36 is provided with a split bushing 39 which is 'rotatably mounted upon the offset centralportion 40 of a shaft 41 which is mounted at one end in a suit able aperturein an-ear 42 extending upwardly from the bracket 38 and integral therewith. The other ear 43; of the bracket-38 desirably is made in two, parts, adapted to be assembled and secured together by a screw 44 after the end of the shaft hasbeen inserted through the bracket ear 42. A. yoke -shapedmember 45, the arms 46 of which are; provided attheir ends with slottedbosses 47, is secured to the shaft 41 by'pins passing through the bosses and the shaft. The central portionof the yoke-shaped member .is ,provided with a web uponwhich the. lower end of a spiral spring 18 is seated. The upper end of thespring 48. abuts against a bracket 49 whichis secured to the frame member 6. The spring 48 is positioned under compression and acts through they fork-shaped member to rotate the shaft 41, thereby causing its eccentric portion 40 to press the roller, 36 firmly against the periphery of the stokerring, and consequently toforce the periphery of the stoker ring firmly into'engagement with the rotatable.drivingv member 20, andwthe complementary anti-friction roller.35, thus maintaining a driving engagement between the rotatable member 20 and the stoker ring at all times.

One of the important objects of the invention is to provide means for progressively delivering fuel from the rotatingstoker ring to the fire-bed. This is accomplished by providing a stationary deflector extending inwardly across the stoker ring and preferably in the form of a spiral of approximately three hundred sixty degrees length. As illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the deflector. comprises-a plateor vane 50' .which extends from the wall of the magazine outlet spirally 'along and in proximity to the stoker ring in the direction of its rotation through approximately threehundrd-sixtydegrees and forms the inner wall of I the outlet of the fire box.

' By reason of this construction the rotation of the stoker ring causes the fuel, which has accumulated thereupon, to be progressively shoved over the inner edge of the ring upon the periphery of .the fire-bed, and as the spiral gradually approaches the inner periphery of the ring, the. fuel is fed substantially. uniformly throughout'substantially the entire periphery of the firebed, or in other words, ancomplete stoker ring load is moved into the fire area in each revolution and the fuel is discharged upon the periphery of the fire-bed at substantially the same rate throughout each degree of the inner periphery of the ring, thereby giving a uniform bed of glowing coal.

In the preferred construction as above described the central grate 14 is c'ircularand upwardly convex and provided with usualpperforations. It is concentric'to the stoker ring and in a lower plane. The conoidal frustum shaped ring or supplemental grate 16 fills most of the spaces between the stoker ring andithe. grate, leaving a narrow annular space-between its lower end and the fixed grate. The downwardly curved surface of the conoidalsupplemental grate facilitates the movement of' the fuel by the action of gravity toward the center, thereby relieving the spiral delivery member 50 ofsome of the work which otherwise would be imposed upon it. The fuel is gradually c onsumedas it proceeds toward the center, the ash sifting through the air holes in the grates. This tendsto ithin'tthe fire-bed, but the travel of the fueluand ashes: toward the. center offsets any disadvantagewhich would otherwise accrue therefro'mi. The relative motion between the supplemental grate .16 andthejcentral stationary grate 14 produces a grinding action, and the curvature 'ofithese parts,. together with the narrow space between the grates, 'assistsin the elimination of Preferably means, also driven from the motor 29, are provided fordelivering'a'suitable current of :air beneaththe grate of the furnace to facilitate combustion. In the particular construction illustrated, the fan of a blower 51 is fixedly securedto the shaft 30 and delivers a current of air through a suitable pipe or conduit52 into the ash pit-beneath the grate. Some .of this current of air ipassesupwardly through the grate l4 andthe supplemental grate l6 and consequently through the fire bed upon the grate, while the remainder of the current of air passes upwardly through the spaces .53 at thecorners of .the. casing into the combustion'chamber above the grate,.which may be lined with fire-brick, or other insulating material, (not shown) in the usual manner.

I By: reason of thisconstruction the blower is actuated; concurrently with'the actuation of the stoker ring, and the arrest of: the motor causes in ered the cessation of the rotation as the "Stoker- {ring andfthe consequent feed of;the-material'-,andwill also cause th'ce's sation of the actionofthe blower, or if a suitable rheostat placed-inf-the circuit supplying the electric current to the motor, diminution' of the speedhfthe mater likewise diminish the speed'of rotatiohof-the stokefring,

' and willalso diminish thespeedof ithe blowerfso 5'7 and 58 lead tothe motor 29; A suitablejther mostat 59, located in ajroom'to beheated} serves to control the p'osition' of-the'switch for rheostat and acts-to break or reduce the current'supplied to the motor when thetemperature fofthe-room exceeds a predeterminedtemperature}' By r'eason of this coristri iction,v therefore, the feeding f the fuel to 'the ,furnace, and also the current of air supplied to the ffurr ia'ce; is automatically 'reg'u lated in "such aniannerftliat a' substantially constant temperature may be maintained within the room to be heatedl h I The furnace above' described is adapted: to be employed in hot'air;' -hot' water, or steam heating systems. illustrated hrein the inventio'rids embodied in a furnace; having a water lieater or boiler for; a steam heating system: 'an'd" a "fur?- ther feature of the invention comprises a novel and economicakheater'formed of-"aplural'ity of units adapted when assembled to provide a plurality of series of j Water tubes having headers at their ends communicating with the, water'supply and a boiler, and providing intermediate of the respective series ofywater tubeslike series of fire tubes through whichthe productsfo'f cornbus tion pass and are finally' discha'r'ged'fromthe stack. I,

The heater'comprises essentially a series of units each of which is constructed of complementary thin sheets 60 of rust, or corrosion-resisting iron or steel, having the general form of an inclined parallelogram, and provided with edge flanges 61 extending substantially throughout the entire periphery and adapted to be abutted and welded edge to edge to make a hermetically closed construction. The faces of the plates are provided with outwardly extending parallel ribs 62 and inwardly extending parallel ribs 63 adapted to abut against each other when the complementary plates are in assembled position, as illustrated in Fig. 5. These ribs extend throughout the major portion of the plates, but terminate sufliciently short of the ends thereof to provide headers 64 and 65 communicating with the ends of the channels or water tubes 66, thus formed. The water tubes have sufficient slope to provide rapid circulation of the water. While the units preferably are formed of sheet metal in the manner above described, such units, of course, may be formed as cored integral castings.

The heater comprises a series of these units so positioned that the outwardly extending ribs 62 are in abutment throughout their length, thereby providing in effect a series of fire tubes 67 through which the gaseous products of combustion may be circulated. By providing suitable baflles (not shown) the gaseous products of combustion may be causdfit'o circulate""inreverse directions through-adjacent fire tubes or sets of fire tubes. "Jr-"suitable main header68 communicates with thelo'w'er end of the header 64,'while the upper end of the header 64*and likewise the upper end of 'tlie' header 65 desirablycommunicate through extensions" 69 and '70 with a-suitable boiler 71 from which s'team' may be delivered through an outlet pipe'72 to aradiator orother' heating system. Themain header 68, through which water is supplied to theheate'r, may serve to support the heater upon a suitable base 73 resting upon the girder"6,'o'r other suitable support: By suitable modification, the-same heater construction may be 'employed-fcr a hot water heating sys- 'It is desirable where" a hot water or steam boiler is employed to' provide thermostatic means foralso-c'ontrolling the actionof the motor adapted to discontinue or to reduce the speed of rotation of the 'motor if the temperature'of the water or steam exceeds'a predetermined minimum. Thisfrhay be'readilyjaccomplished by providing a: thermostaticelement-74ypreferably of the expansible fluidtype, extending into the boiler, and subject' to the temperature of the water or steam therein, and-having a'pipe 75 leading to 'nie'chanism foractuating the switch or rheostat in the bOX' '56 to discontinue the action of the motor, or reduce its speed, in response to excessive temperature of the boiler or steam, it being understood that, excessive temperature of the steam would be 'caused'by increase in pressure in the pipes carrying Y the; steamto v the various heatd a n n t l 1 '1 Q Q .It will tie-understood that the particularembodiment of theinvention described herein is of an illustrativecharacter and isnot restrictive, and that various changes in form, construction and arrangement of parts may be made within the spiritand'scope' of the following claims.

Having thusdescribed the invention, what is claimed as'n'ew, and-desired to *be secured by Letters Patent, isr' L 'A' furna ce construction'having a combustion chamber providedwith a central circular grate, a conoidal grate having inner walls which curve gradually downward to surround at its lower end, said central grate, a rotatable stoker ring surrounding the upper end of said conoidal grate, in the plane of said upper end, means for depositing fuel upon said stoker ring, driving means for rotating said stocker ring, means for progressively delivering the fuel from said stoker ring with substantial uniformity throughout the periphery of the fire-bed sup-ported upon said conoidal grate, means operable by said driving means in synchronism with the rotation of said stoker ring to deliver a current of air beneath said grate and means for controlling said driving means whereby the amount of fuel delivered to the furnace and the air supplied beneath the grate will be conjointly regulated to control the rate of combustion of fuel in the furnace.

2. A furnace construction having a combustion chamber provided with a central circular grate, a downwardly converging conoidal grate surrounding at its lower end said central grate, a rotatable stoker ring surrounding said conoidal grate, having a flat upper surface flush with the upper end of said conoidal grate, a magazine having an outlet overlying said stoker ring for depositing fuel by gravity upon said stoker ring, driving means for rotating said stoker ring, means for progressively delivering the fuel from said degrees in length andoperable to deliver fuel with substantial uniformity throughout ,the pe ripheral surface of the grate to the downwardly inclined conoidalportion thereof. x Y 3. A furnace construction having a combustion chamber provided with ap erforated, stationary central grate, an inverted conoidal rotatable grate concentrically surrounding at its lower end said stationary grate, a horizontal rotatable annular stoker. ring surrounding the upper end of said conoidal; grate presenting a surface lying in thesame plane as the periphery of said conoidal grate and having means engaging said stoker ring to cause conjoint rotation therewith, driving means for rotating said stoker ring, a magazine having an outlet overlying said stoker ring adapted to maintain a body of fuel upon said stoker-ring and means 'for progressivelydelivering fuel from said stoker' ring with substantial I uniformity. throughout the horizontal peripheral surface of saidgrate to the downwardly inclined ,conoidal portionoi the grate along which the burning fuel'descends by the action ofcgravit yr T Y 4. A furnace constructionhaving.a combustion chamber providedwith a,central convex, circular, stationary periorated grate, inverted conical rotatable grate concentrically surrounding ,at, its lower end saidstationar-y grate, arotatable stoker ring surrounding the upper end of said conical grate presenting, a'surfacelying in the planeof the periphery'oisaid conical grate and having means detachably engaging the peripheral por-'- tion of said conical grate to cause conjoint rotation therewith but adapted to permit removal or replacement of said rotatable grate and driving means for rotating said stokerring.

5. A furnace construction comprising .a combustion chamber provided with a central circular s at arotatable stoker'ring surrounding said sta e a m ize neh ns n l t P i 9 t9 depositfuel upon said stoker ring, driving means for rotatingsaid stcker ring including va rotatable member engaging, the periphery of said stoker ring, means fopforcibly maintaining said stolter ring in engagement with said rotary driving member, andmeans ior progressively deliverthe fuel from said stoker ring along the .periphery ofthe fire-bed supported by said grate.

69A furnace construction comprising a combustion chamber provided, with a central circular grate, a rotatable stoker ring surrounding said grate, a magazinehaying an outlet positioned to deposit fuel upon said stoker ring, driving means for rotating said Stoker ring including a rotatable member engaging the periphery, of said 4 stoker ring, in proximity to'the outlet of said magazine, a plurality of anti-friction rollers engaging the periphery of said stolcer ring at spaced intervals, and resilient meansacting through one of said anti-friction rollers to maintain the periphery of said stoker ring in firm engagement withfsaid r a e ri 'me h r-, a

7.- A furnace construction comprising a central circular grate, a rotatable stolger ring surrounding said grate, a enclosing said stoker ring and extendingv above and below the same to, pro vide a combustion chamber above said grate, and an ash pit below said grate, means fordepositing fuel upon said stoker i means for rotating said stoker ringlincluding a rotatable member.engagingthe periphery of said ring, an electric motor, speed-reducing mechanism ,for transmitting rotation from the shaft of said motor to Said rotatable member, a bloweractuated by said motor shaft, and means for delivering a current of air from said'blower into said ash pit and means locatedbeyond the periphery of said stoker ring establishing communication between said ash pit and, said combustion chamber, whereby a portion of the air willpass through said grate andthe remainder .will pass into the combustion chamber above said grate.

EDWIN s 

